WHEREAS, preventable diseases such as
cardiovascular disease, diabetes and many cancers are responsible for 70% of
deaths among Americans; and

WHEREAS, disease prevention is a critical
answer to soaring health care costs and mounting chronic diseases in this
country. In a recent report, the Institute of Medicine says that prevention
must be at the center of national strategies to improve health care and calls
for more investment in efforts to promote health and prevent disease; and

WHEREAS, preventable chronic diseases account
for more than 75% of the $2.6 trillion we spend annually on medical care and
the high costs associated with chronic disease threaten the nationís economic
vitality causing diminished labor productivity at a cost of more than $1
trillion annually; and

WHEREAS, efforts to prevent chronic disease
are considerably underfunded; less than 5% of national health spending is
devoted to public health activities; and

WHEREAS, research indicates prevention efforts
have a high return on investment.† A
study conducted by the Trust for Americaís Health found that an investment of
$10 per person annually in proven, community-based public health programs would
return more than $16 billion within five years; and

WHEREAS, the creation of the $15 billion
Prevention and Public Health Fund (Fund) in 2010, which has since been reduced
by $5 billion marked the first major federal expenditure to support innovative
community-based prevention programs to curb smoking, promote physical activity,
and expand access to healthy foods, and the vital public health infrastructure
needed to support their implementation; and

WHEREAS, the Fund represents an unprecedented
window of opportunity to build upon our knowledge base, advance evidence-based
prevention strategies, and inform policy makers about how to allocate scarce
health resources; and

WHEREAS, the Fund will demonstrate the value
of investments in prevention over the long term; and

NOW THEREFORE BE IT
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S.
Conference of Mayors urges the Congress to remain steadfast in its commitment
to the Fund, restore the original funding level and provide reliable and
continued funding for efforts to reduce preventable disease rates and advance
prevention strategies; and

BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED, that the U.S.
Conference of Mayors urges the President and Congress to continue to support
and safeguard the Fund.